If you’ve been struggling to drop those last few pounds, a pen and some paper might just be your salvation. According to a recent study, dieters who wrote down what they ate in a food journal lost 6 more pounds than dieters who did not.

Why does it work? It keeps you honest.

For instance, unofficially, I had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch today, or about 300 calories.

Had I actually written down what I ate, however, I would have been forced to include the large handful of chocolate chips I swallowed just after I finished my sandwich.

Dietitians have long known that people tend to eat more calories than they are consciously aware of. It’s for this reason that they will put dieters on a 1200-calorie menu plan, all the while fully knowing that such dieters will really be eating 1500 or even 1700 calories. When you write down what you eat as soon as you eat it, you suddenly become aware of every single nibble.

“It is difficult to make changes to your diet when you are not paying close attention to what you are eating," says Anne McTiernan, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center's Prevention Center in Seattle.

To ensure you use your food diary, choose one that you can carry with you. A tiny spiral notebook that fits in your purse will work just fine. Or, if you’d like to go more high tech, try any number of mobile apps such as Calories 2 or Perfect Diet Tracker.

When tracking what you eat, make sure to:

Be honest. Foods you fail to record do not magically become calorie free.

Measure portions. Studies show that most people estimate portions incorrectly.

Include details such as how the food was prepared, toppings or condiments. These calories add up.

Eat out with it. We consume most of our hidden calories at restaurants.

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ABOUT THE WRITERS

TIM DARRAGH has been reporting and editing the news for 30 years, most of it at The Morning Call. For much of that time, he's been doing award-winning investigative and in-depth reporting projects. Tim created the three-year-long Change of Heart project, and wrote a series on the state's fractured food inspection system that led to widespread improvements in food safety. Meantime, that novice jogger you see plodding along the streets around Bethlehem Township? That would be Tim.